July 2006 Climatic Summary

The first 10 days of July saw near normal temperatures and mainly dry weather. Isolated severe weather was reported in northeastern Wyoming, the Black Hills and southwestern South Dakota on July 1 and 2 and again on July 6 and 7. The dry weather would be the norm for the month, while the seasonable temperatures would give way too much above normal temperatures through the rest of the month.

Hot and dry weather arrived on July 11 and continued until July 19 with July 14 through July 16 the hottest days. On July 16, 10 different locations recorded all-time record high temperatures, including a South Dakota state record tying 120 degrees at Usta 8WNW. A few other all-time highs include: Cottonwood 2E with 117 degrees, Philip and Milesville 5NE at 116 degrees, Interior 114 degrees and the Rapid City Airport with 111 degrees.

Isolated severe weather was reported on July 12. Severe weather was again reported in northwestern South Dakota on July 19 and 20 ahead of a cold front. A brief cool down occurred on July 20 and 21 before hot and dry weather returned from July 22 through July 30. Isolated severe weather occurred again on the South Dakota plains on July 24 and July 26.

Record heat once again struck the region from July 28 through July 30 with numerous record highs set each day. Spearfish and Fort Meade tied all-time record highs on July 28; which had been set just 12 days earlier on July 16. Finally on July 31 a cold front moved across the region with temperatures cooling over all but south central South Dakota.

July was the second warmest July on record and the warmest since 1936. Temperatures averaged 5 to 7 degrees above normal. Averages ranged from 10.4 degrees above normal at Camp Crook to 3.8 degrees above normal at Lead and Custer in the Black Hills. Several locations recorded the warmest July on record including Fort Meade, Interior, Lemmon, Long Valley, Maurine 10SW, Milesville 5NE, Mission 14S, Newell, Redig 11NE and Spearfish.

July was also a very dry month across western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. Precipitation averaged only 30 to 40 percent of normal with several locations receiving less than 10 percent of normal precipitation. These include Winner with 1 percent of normal, Ladner 9SW and Redig 11NE 3 percent, Cedar Butte 5 percent, Kadoka, Long Valley and Colony, Wyoming 7 percent, and Newell 9 percent. Winner, Redig 11NE,Maurine 10SW and Gillette 4SE all recorded the driest July’s on record. Oglala 1S was the wet spot with 193 percent of normal precipitation, thanks to 3.80 inches on July 13, and the dry spot was Winner where only 1 percent of normal precipitation occurred.